# What is the difference between a $30 Dunhill and a $3000?



## Vwluv10338 (Aug 24, 2010)

I want a nice briar pipe. Now the way my family does things is to find a deal so therefore I have been reading about how to restore an estate pipe. My question is what makes the prices of pipes vary so much?

Here is a Dunhill for $38 
DUNHILL ROOT BRIAR ESTATE TOBACCO PIPE - MADE IN ENGLAND | eBay

Here is a Dunhill for $252
DUNHILL

Here is one for $3000
1950 Dunhill, ODA "Specimen" 836 Panel Pipe. Highly Collectible! | eBay

Now I know just because you put whatever price you want on your auction doesnt mean your item is worth that, but there are a few auctions where Dunhills are going over $200-300. What is the difference in the pipes or any other collectable pipe? What other antique pipe brands command these kind of prices?


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Vwluv10338 said:


> I want a nice briar pipe. Now the way my family does things is to find a deal so therefore I have been reading about how to restore an estate pipe. My question is what makes the prices of pipes vary so much?
> 
> Here is a Dunhill for $38
> DUNHILL ROOT BRIAR ESTATE TOBACCO PIPE - MADE IN ENGLAND | eBay
> ...


The bidding's not done on the first pipe, but the stem doesn't look great. I'll bet it gets to a $100 anyhow.
The second pipe is quite small and could still go for more too.
The third pipe is one of a kind, a collector's item.


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## szyzk (Nov 27, 2010)

Vwluv10338 said:


> My question is what makes the prices of pipes vary so much?


I'll make you a deal: you buy me all three pipes, I'll write out a well-reasoned, scientific comparison of the three. Deal?

:lol:

Looks like Jim already answered your question!


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

You can find many estate Dunhill pipes from $150-250. You won't get much cheaper without there being something wrong with it. There are usually two things that make some Dunhill pipes, especially unsmoked, go for much, much more. One is that they are extremely easy to date, meaning there's more certainty in what you're getting. Some people even look specifically for their birth years. Two is that Dunhill produced a lot of limited edition pipes and often didn't even put them on the market. You'll find certain models that were only available to merchants for personal use. There's a lot more about Dunhill that I don't know, but I hope that starts to answer your question.


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## Vwluv10338 (Aug 24, 2010)

Thanks. Being able to date it is very nice especially when dealing with antiques. Any other good antique brands I should look for? Savinelli, Peterson?


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## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

Vwluv10338 said:


> Thanks. Being able to date it is very nice especially when dealing with antiques. Any other good antique brands I should look for? Savinelli, Peterson?


Buying antiques for investment is a game best played by experts in the narrow field. I would suggest you first concentrate of buying good smokers and research in that area as the expenditures will be much lower. When you have a feel for overall quality of pipes then you will be more prepared to choose for investment.


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Good question, and one that I have wanted to ask many times. I really feel your pain in trying to select the next gem to add to my collection. I have a few of what I would call cheaper pipes (95-175 range) and lucky for me most of them smoke the way I would like them too. But I'm worried about shelling out the cash on a "name" that either may or may not end up a good smoker. I never see myself as a person that will have a pipe just because it's a collector and have it to look at. To me, the pipe is a tool used to get to the enjoyment that I am ultimately looking for. So I think the answer to your question lies more with how much are you really looking to spend in order to get to that level of enjoyment. But I'm with you in trying to figure it all out. I would hate to shell out 2,3,4 hundred on something that would end up as kindling instead of providing me with a value added tool for my enjoyment....


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Vwluv10338 said:


> Thanks. Being able to date it is very nice especially when dealing with antiques. Any other good antique brands I should look for? Savinelli, Peterson?


Sasieni pipes, "pre-Transition", are generally cheaper than Dunhills and things like the old One Dots and Eight Dots could be considered collectible with a possible profit in the future -- even the old Four Dots and Two Dots. I've had only two Dunhill's, but neither of them was as good a pipe as ANY of my 8 Sasienis -- not even the "cheapo" new 4Dot. I think Dunhill's main claim to fame was that it had a royal charter; despite this, Prince Edward (aka, the Duke of Windsor) advertised for Sasieni, perhaps an early sign of later rebellion against the throne. This royal charter made for some "interesting" old pipes, for example, I saw one for $12000 last year that belonged to George V(?), unsmoked. George V might not have even smoked a pipe, I don't know.

Of one thing I am certain, Sasieni stems are more comfortable for me. Just *looking* at that $3000 Dunhill's stem gives me a headache. (Sometimes I imagine that Dunhill pipes are made for very large men, perhaps those who would quallify as Thornton Melon's clients, but dressed in tweed instead of sharkskin.)


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

Pre-Cadogan GBDs aren't a bad investment, especially as they can be found fairly inexpensively right now. These are great smokers that should retain value and possibly go up as the market for estate pipes returns. The easiest way to find pre-Cadogan (Cadogan bought most of the English brands in the early 80s and the quality immediately dropped) is to look for the raised gold rondelle on the shank.


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